Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

Here's the Argus' first blurb

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...DATES/80710049

South Dakota is one of six schools to join the NCAA Division I conference. The other five institutions that are joining the Great West Conference are Houston Baptist University (HBU), New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), University of North Dakota (UND), University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and Utah Valley University.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

Going into Sioux City is a smart idea, maybe not necessarily just for the short term but for the long term mainly. They really don't have an identity with their sports options other than a couple small colleges and minor sports teams but have plenty of drawing power to pull from and are still relatively close to Vermillion. Sioux City is a nice wild card to pull from that SDSU doesn't really get.

That's a fair point, Coyote Fan. I will give USD credit for trying to create a following that goes beyond state borders. In a small state like South Dakota, generating fans from beyond the home turf is important. SDSU has recognized that by holding football, basketball and baseball games in Sioux Falls.

[Jacks-02]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

They can rename it the Great West Texas and New Jersey Conference!

[filbert]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

"It ain't much, but it's home."

[Rabbit74]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

A Houston TV station is reporting that the members of the new conference will be announced tomorrow and will be USD, UND, Pan American, Utah Valley State, Houston Baptist and New Jersey Tech. Chicago State and Seattle are anticipated to join later when they get some issues worked out.


http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pa...Y&pageId=1.1.1

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

I just don't see the point of an all sports Great West conference. USD is doing the same thing SDSU did with its scheduling alliance for basketball, they're just trying to throw some lipstick on it and call it a conference.

When 3 of the 5 members of the conference play in other conferences for every sport other than football (SUU in Summit, Cal Poly and UC Davis in Big West) calling it an all sports conference just doesn't work. You're left with USD, UND, and UTPA in a 3 team "conference".

There is little pretense that the all-sports Great West football conference will share much of anything with the "all-sports" Great West. This is simply a designated conference for the independents, which 13 years (or more) could be an auto-bid conference. Better to start it and grow/change than to do nothing at all.

The Great West football conference would have been a powerful FCS auto-bid conference in 2010, if ALL the original members had stayed and played, and would be growing to be a 9 member league starting in 2009. However, the opportunities of other already auto-bid conferences were too much to resist for the ex-NCC members, and St. Mary's dropping the ball.

Good luck and success to our "found(er)ing" ex-NCC mates in expanding a created alliance (Thanks xDSU's) into a "conference."

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

My guess is that most of the independents will go for this because it basically is the scheduling alliance, and as I remember, all the schools involved really liked having the scheduling made easier. If you are going to be playing each other anyway, why not call it a conference? However, the GWC's biggest challenge will still remain, getting a sixth football team before more members are picked up by other established conferences.

[Jacks-02]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

I just don't see the point of an all sports Great West conference. USD is doing the same thing SDSU did with its scheduling alliance for basketball, they're just trying to throw some lipstick on it and call it a conference.

When 3 of the 5 members of the conference play in other conferences for every sport other than football (SUU in Summit, Cal Poly and UC Davis in Big West) calling it an all sports conference just doesn't work. You're left with USD, UND, and UTPA in a 3 team "conference".

[filbert]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

This is not a smack thread.

Clean it up, all.

[UTH]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

Well look, the 'Yotes are going to copy everthing that SDSU did during the transition to ensure success. Even if it means wear rabbit ears on there mascot.

Your friends up north seem to be thinking the same thing...

[91jack]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

It's no funnier than SDSU having a press conference to announce they are officially a full fledged member of D1. Like that wasn't already known. There will be a press conference on Thursday regarding the conference and according to the news it looks like USD will be moving some of their games (not announced which sports) to Sioux City and Sioux Falls.

The difference is that SDSU is officially DI.
USD won't be in a "real" conference until that conference gets an auto bid to the big dance(or an established one asks them). Until then, it should be called a scheduling alliance. SDSU called it an alliance. I guess calling it something different is something original from USD. It's good for them but the name doesn't fit.
The Sioux City thing is a good idea. USD will need money and Sioux City will help with that. USD should have some "well to do" grads that could help.
I think USD could have a little more success in Sioux Falls than SDSU had. SDSU has a better place to play basketball and football than SF. The dome isn't all bad for football but it's small. It isn't very good at all for basketball. They could move several games to SF. SDSU would only move 1 or 2 games there a year. That would be over Christmas break. I think SDSU's basketball game in SF(Manhatten) might have been better attended but the Sioux Falls High School teams were playing each other that night. That's why an usher told me that was a terrible night to play down there. The SDSU fans in Brookings didn't travel to SF like I thought they would. I would think the people from Vermillion would like the excuse to go to SF. I don't like moving many games because of the students but if they're gone it's not as bad.

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

USD can have Sioux City. USD = The new Morningside.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

SDSU did not draw well in Sioux Falls. What makes USD think they will do better? And Sioux City? Taking games out of state? Stupid.

Maybe USD can go to the DOGS.....

Quite literally, use the N. Sioux City Dog track for events.... ;P

That way in SD, but right at Sioux City.

Sioux City is a weird city, not quite certain of why it is the size that it is.

[89rabbit]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

So Chicago State has said "no thank you" at least for the time being to the Great West, and it looks like a few others have also decided to "just say no".

http://media.www.mustangdaily.net/me...-3389071.shtml

Great West expansion to be announced soon

Cal State Bakersfield will likely hold out in hopes of joining Cal Poly in Big West

By: Donovan Aird

Issue date: 7/3/08 Section: Sports

Cal Poly may not be getting any new competition in one of its conferences, but it could soon be in another.

Despite an apparent invitation to a pending all-sports division about to be added within the larger umbrella of the Great West Football Conference, football-less Cal State Bakersfield will likely hold out and try to eventually join the Big West Conference in coming years, a school official said Tuesday. . . .

Savannah State assistant athletics director Opio Mashariki said Tuesday that Savannah State (which lost in football 55-0 at Cal Poly in 2006) has identified a conference it's interested in joining, but it isn't the Great West. He declined to divulge the preferred conference. . . . (read more)


Thursday could be interesting for our friends from the south.


Go State!

[collegewatcher]

Re: Great West To Include UTPA And become All Sports Conf?

SDSU did not draw well in Sioux Falls. What makes USD think they will do better? And Sioux City? Taking games out of state? Stupid.